Conveyer



Patented Dec. 1, 1931 PATENT ori-ICE CHARLES A. UPSON, OF LOGKPORT, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE UPSON COMPANY, OF LOCKPORT, NEW YORK, AV CORCPORATIONpOF NEW YORK C'ONVEYER Application filed. August 31, 1928. Serial No. 303,213.V

My present invention relates to the manufacture and handling of sheets, boards, slabs and similar stock and particularly to the processing or treatmentthereof wherein, in order to conserve space, the stock is conveyed back and forth in reverse directions between decks o-r levels arranged one above the other and it has for its object to provide a simple, convenient and eiiicient means for transferring the sheets or similar articles rapidly and safely from one deck to another.

To these and other ends the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the no-vel features `being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

1n the drawings: Y

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a wallboard making` and processing machine in connection with which useful application of my invention may be made, the view being a fragmentary one of the front end of the machine;

Fig. 2. is a similar fragmentary view of the intermediate portion of the machine;

Fig. 3 is a similar fragmentary view of the delivery end of the machine;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal section through a portion of the drying oven of the machine shown in elevation in Fig. 3, the same being fitted with a conveyer and transfer means constructed in accordance with and illustrating one .embodiment of my invention; l

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailed transverse section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary section through certain driving mechanism taken on the line 66 of Fig. 4;' and Fig. 7 is a section showing a face view of suoli driving element taken on'the line 7 of Fig. 6. Y

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

My present improvement may be utilized to advantage in connection with a machine for the manufacture of sheets or slabs such as that disclosed in my. pending application for patent, filed January 12, 1928, Serial No. 246,345, and I have illustrated in Figs. 1, 2

Vof the present improvements.

and 3 so much of that machine as will be useful in understanding the purpose and effect First referring briefly to these figures, it is to be understood as above explained that they collectively show the whole machine when placed end to end in the order named.

This particular machine is designed to produce as a continuous operation a continuously formed sheet or strip of wallboard such as is used as a building material, the outer faces thereof consisting of two paper liners enclosing between them a considerable body of mineral materiah It is of no great concern herein as to what this material is beyond saying that it is a plastic mass which is fed between the liners while they are continuously moving. The liners referred to may be drawn from suitable supply rolls l and 2 and receive the plastic material between them from a hopper 3 as they pass around between rollers 4 arranged beneath the hopper. From these rollers the sheet is subjected to heat and pressure `by passing through a long bed and between upper and lower heated platens 6 and 7. Emerging from the rear end of this platen section 8 the strip is trimmed and slit at 9 and 10 and thence passes into a hardening oven 11 where it is partially dried and hardened or set suiiiciently to pass between a set of drawing or feed rolls 12 which would otherwise injure it and which are located near the rear end of this hardening oven. The entire strip is drawnthrough theentire machine as thus far described by these drawing rolls and pushed by the latter upon what I will term the upper deck 13 of a vlong drying oven 14 that extends back beneath the hardening oven 11 and part of the platen bed 5 as shown. On this upper deck 13 which is conventionally shown in Fig.

`3 the strip is cut into separate sheets by a suitable severing device 15 and from thence travels in the mannervhereinafter described as successive separate sheets.

Both the hardening oven 11 and the drying oven 14 are supplied with and heated by hot air or other gases which are introduced and discharged through various ducts 16 but an Cil speed also.

understanding of these is not necessary to the disclosure of the present invention.

after leaving the upper deck 13 the stock passes through an intermediate deck 16 on which it travels forwardly again the full length of the oven 14 at which point it is transferred to a bottom deck 17 to'againtraverse the oven rearwardly to its full length whereafter it issues as a rfinished product at the rear end of the machine. rl`he two transfer points that are required for the shifting of the stock successively downward are -indic-ated generally at A and B in the general views, whereas the deli-very point at which it emerges as a finished product is indicated at C. The present invention, as before ind-icated, has to do with these transfer mechanisms and as they may be ofthe same construction at both of the points A and B they are shown in detail only at A as a description of one will suffice for both.

ln Fig. 4 a. sheet or a length of wallboard stock is shown on the upper deckl at D about to be delivered to transfermechanism. This deck and the two lower-decks 16 and 17 are composed in the present instance of a plurality of spaced parallel rolls 1S all driven in unison in the respective directions shown by the arrows at what we will calloven speed. 'lhe driving gear consist-s of sprockets 19 on the ends ofthe rolls with which mesh sprocket chains 2() driven 4from a suitable source of power. rl"he upper or feeding deck 13 tei'- minates in an inclined transfer element indicated generally at 211, which elementalso comprises a plurality of rollers 22 provided with sprockets 28 and driven `by sprocket chains Q4 suitably geared to turn lthese rolls at oven rilhe element 21 is inclined downwardly and rearwardly in the direction of the .transfer `element 25 that is inclined downwardly and forwardly and passes under the rrear or lower end of .the-element 21 and leads tothe lower deck 1G as acontinuation thereof. The conveying rolls of that portion Vof the transfer element 25 which extends beneath and beyond the lower endof the transfer element 21 from the point .a forwardly are a continuation of the rolls of Athe .deck 1G and are driven therefrom at the same or oven speed. The rolls 26 at the upper portion of the transfer element 25 .through sprockets 2T and sprocket chains 28 between the point a and the rear end o-f the element are driven independently vat greater speed from a motor 29. lThese latter are, however, normally at rest and are set in motion through 'the following mechanism:

The motor Q9 is a three phase motor connected by the wiring 3() to any usual type of starter 31 which itself has a starting circuit comprising a battery 32; a wire 33 into the starter and a wire S4 out of the starter to a switch contact A vertical plunger 3G supported by a bracket 3T and` properly 'the ldirections indicated by the arrows, with the exception of the independently driven group QG on the :transfer element 25, the board or sheet D passes from the deck 13 down the inclined Vtransfer element 21 and is sho-ved out rearwardly -to its full lengt-h on to the `transfer rollers 2G -of the elementQ'. As its end drops down to fully occu-py or rest upon the rollers 2G it first strikes the roll 40 of the switch plunger 36 which immediately closes the circuit through the starter 3-1 and he motor 29 begins to drive the rollers 26 in the oppositedirection Aor forwardly o-f the machine `at va relatively high rate `of speed. The sheet is thus quick-ly reversed and hurried down the incline to the lower deck next below before lthe vsucceeding sheet or board travelling at Vthe slower rate has had time :to fall upon it. ln other words an advance sheet falls upon, actuates and is carried out of the way in a. reverse direction beneath the succeeding sheet whereupon it assumes a rate of travel the same as the following sheets that are being fed -from the making machine and the sheet-s ahead that have been reversed again by 'the similar mechanisms at -B and are ltravelling' through the oven towards the deli-very Ipoint C. The working of the machine is thus made as rapid as possible and the sheets are so close together that the full capacity of the drying ovenis utilized.

The rolls 18 on the incline 25 between the point a and the -deck 16 have overrunning connections with their driving gears 19 as shown in Figs. y6 and 7. The shaft 410i each roll in this group is 'journalled in `the bearing 42 and is provided with a 4ratchet 43 xed to the shaft by a pin 44. rillhefdriving sprocket 19 on each of these shafts is freely rotatable thereon and is confined ilongitudinally between the ratchet 43 and a collar 45. A pawl 46 on yt-he sprocket is .held against the ratchet by a spring 47. Thus the rolls Y18 will normally be driven yat vthe speed of the sprockets 19, but they are free to rotate faster than the sprockets .under the influence of any force tending to cause such faster rotation. Hence the rolls hav ing the ratcheticonnections Vwill not oder substantial resistance to the faster movement of a board resting on these rolls, which faster movement might be caused either by the board being driven by `the faster rolls 26 or tby being overtaken and -pushed from behind bya succeeding board driven by the rolls 26.

To prevent a board descending from the incline between the points a and b from acquiring too great a speed upon striking the deck 16, I provide one or more floating rolls 48 cooperating with one or more of the rolls 18 at this point which must be raised by the sheet in passing under and the weight and friction of which tend to retard it.

I also prefer to provide one or more similar floating rolls 49 in conjunction with the rolls 22 at the lower end of the incline or transfer element 2l. The purpose of these rolls, however, is to insure a frictional contact of the board with the driving rolls suiiicient to positively project it out upon and up the incline of the transfer element 25 and also, to reduce the resistance and insure the easy riding of the advancing edge of the board on to the rolls 26 without running beneath them or abutting them on a dead center, I provide inclined guard plates or deflectors 50 between those of the rolls 26 which the edge of the sheet is apt to first contact.

All of the rolls and their mountings and driving gear are constructed substantially as shown in Fig. 5.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a sheet processing machine for the `continuous running of ysevered sheets of wall-board and similar stock, a conveyer comprising upper and lower superposed and substantially co-eXtensive decks for carrying the sheets in reverse directions in combination with upper and lower transfers communicating with the respective decks and inclined in opposite directions so that the lower transfer runs beneath the lower end of the upper one, said transfers each comprising a plurality of driven rolls, and means for driving the rolls of the lower transfer at greater speed than the other rolls, said means being set in motion through actuation by the sheet itself as it falls upon the lower transfer.

2. In a sheet processing machine for the continuous running of severed sheets of wallboard and similar stock, a conveyer comprising upper and lower decks for carrying the sheets in reverse directions in combination with upper and lower transfers communicating with the respective decks and inclined in opposite directions so that the lower transfer runs beneath the lower end of the upper one, said transfers each comprising a plurality of driven rolls, electrical means for driving the rolls of thelower transfer at greater speed than the other rolls and a switch controlling the circuit of such electrical means, said switch being associated with the lower transfer to be actuated into closed position by the weight ofa sheet of stock as it drops thereon from the upper transfer.

3. In a. sheet processing machine for the continuous running of severed sheets of wallboard and similar stock, a conveyer comprising upper and lower decks for carrying the sheets in reverse directions in combination with upperV and lowertransfers communicating with the respective decks and inclined in opposite directions s'o that the lower transfer runs beneath the lower end ofthe upper one, said transfers each comprising a plurality of driven rolls, means normally idle for driving the rolls of the lower transfer at greater speed than the other, a normally open electric circuit controlling said driving means, and a switch in the circuit embodying an operating element associated with and rising above the rolls of the lower transfer and adapted to be actuated by a sheet of stock as it falls from the upper to the lower transfer.

4. In a sheet processing machine for the continuous running of severed sheets of wall- Y Y board and similar stock, a conveyer comprising upper and lower decks for carrying the stock in reverse directions in combination with upper and lower transfers communicating with the respective decks and inclined in opposite directions toward a common point, said transfers each embodying a plurality of driven rolls, and deflecting guards associated with rolls of the lower transfer to guide the stock sheets up the incline of the latter.

5. The combination with an upper transfer inclined downwardly in one direction and having means for i feeding sheet material down the incline thereof, of a lower transfer inclined downwardly in an opposite direction and extending beyond and beneath the lower end of the upper transfer to receive sheet material therefrom, mechanism for feeding sheet material down the incline of the lower transfer, and means actuated by the sheet material when it is received on the lower transfer for operating said mechanism.

6. The combination with an upper transfer inclined downwardly in one direction and having means for feeding sheet material down the incline thereof, of a lower transfer inclined downwardly in an opposite direction and extending beyond and beneath the lower end of the upper transfer to receive sheet material therefrom, mechanism for feeding sheet material down the incline of the lower transfer, and means including an electric switch actuated by the sheet material for operating said mechanism.

7 The combination with an upper trans-` fer, of a lower transfer for receiving material from said upper transfer, said lower transfer having a series of rolls for conveying the material received from the upper transfer, mechanism for driving part of said rolls at normal speed, means for driving others of said rolls at greater than normal speed to deliver said material rapidly from said others of said rolls to said rolls driven at normalspeed, and overrunning clutch means between said driving mechanism and Certain of said rolls driven at normal speed, so that such rolls may rotate at greater than normal speed in response to the rapid movement of material being delivered to such rolls by said rolls driven at greater than normal speed.

CHARLES A. UPSON. 

